Vignette 2
  • How might this vignette cast new light on the Brazilian candy sellers and the milk plant readings? (JLK)







Chapter 1: Meaning
  • Dorfler (2000, p. 101) states, "I take the following position. The only available and observable indicator that a subject has grasped the meaning - whatever it is - of a linguistic or symbolic entity is that the subject has a thorough command of its social use..." How does Dorfler's conception of meaning compare and contrast with Wenger's? (JLK DOS)
  • On page 55, Wenger talks about the duality of participation and reification as forming a fundamental component of the negotiation of meaning. How does Wenger's use of the term reification compare and contrast with Sfard's use of the term? (JLK)
  • Several terms, like participation and reification, are not distinct, but rather duals. How does this affect research designs using this paradigm? (DOS)




Chapter 2: Community
  • Joint enterprise and mutual engagement seem quite similar. How can we cogently describe the differences between the two? (JLK)

Across sections
  • I didn't have any questions this week, but I will share something I'm thinking about... Given that Ariel and her colleagues come together each as part of their job (to earn a living) and not to form a community of practice, how does this influence notions described in the reading (meaning, community, learning)? In other words, how might our perspectives on communities of practice differ when people to come together for a particular reason on their own as opposed to conditions that seemed more "forced"? (AJ)
  • How is reificiation similar to and/or different from previous conceptions of reification discussed in this class? (AJ)